Apparatus for controlling rotary machines.



R. PROELL.

APPARATUS FOB. CONTROLLING ROTARY MACHINES.

APPLIUATAVION FILED APR.21, 1914.

1,180,431, Patented M2112, 1915.

Z SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

B.. PROELL.

APPARATUS PoR coNTRoLLrNG ROTARY MAGHINRS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1914.

'Patented Ma.1.2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nEINHoLn raoELI), or DRESDEN, immuun?.l APPARATUS Fon. coNTaoLLINe ROTARY Mexm" '5,

lSpecification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2,1915.

Application llld April 21, 1914. Serial No. 838,423.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, REINHOLD PBonLL,

engineer, a subJect of the King of Prussia,

I and resident of Rabenerstrasse 13, Dresden,

Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in A paratus for Controlling Rotarg Machines, ofp which the following is a speci cation.

The present inventlon has for its object an apparatus for automatically controlling the number of revolutions of air compressors, pumps, or the like, driven by steam or gas engines, by a motive fluid the pressure of which is to be maintained between certain limits.

Especially the object. of the present invention refers to engines provided with a centrifugallgovernor formed or constructed as shaft-governor, but not to engines controlled by a centrifugal-governor formed as a spindle-governor for the reason that governors of the kind last mentioned generally necessitate low forces only, whereas the present invention has for its object to overcome intensive adjusting-resistances as found in shaft-governors.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows by way of example a compressor-plant driven by a steam-engine provided with a shaft-governor, Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, partly in elevation, through said shaft-governor, Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing more clearly the parts of said governor, Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the servomotor working in combination with the shaft-governor, Fig. 5 is a detail vof the pressure controlling apparatus belonging to the servomotor and Fig. 6 is a perspective' view of the rotary valve forming part of the servo-motor.

1, Fig. 1, is a steam-engine provided with a shaft-governor 2 and drivin a'compressor 3 for sucking in and compressing air. Now, it is intended to automatically cause the en- 4gine to run with a higher or lower speed in correspondence with greater or smaller consumption of compressed air for the .reason of maintaining as unvaried as possible the pressure within the compressed air-receiver. For lthis purpose, the shaft-governor 2, the

controlling eccentrics 4, '5 of which are A arranged on both of its sides, is provided with a device or apparatus causing the variation or adjustmentof the revolutions in number during the operation of the com presser-plant. namly consists of the carriers or disks 7, 7 Joined together and fixed to the central shaft These disks 7, 7 support two symmetrically arranged oscillating pendulums 8', 9 capable of oscillating around the bolts 10, 11 and held 1n equilibrium by the coiled springs 1,2, 13. One end of each of these coiled sprmgs is connected 14, 15 and the other end of it to the movable bolts16, 17 arranged to slide by the interposition of small rolls 18, 19 on the backs of the oscillating pendulums 8, 9 and carried, during the oscillating movement of the latter, in circles around the bolts 22, 23 by the operatm rods 20, 21. The stationary bolts 14, 15 an the movable bolts 22,23 form parts of the levers 24, 25 stretching the coiled springs and of the arms 26, 27, 28 and 29 of the levers mentioned. The position of the levers 24, 25 is maintained by the radial ad- ]ustmg rods 32, 33 which prevent these 1evers themselves from making any rotary movement. The radial rods 32, 33 are supported byA means of the bell-crank-levers 34, 35 or wedges, against an adjusting-spindle 37 arranged within a bore 36 of the governor-shaft' 'and projecting outward from the latter. The extremity of the adjusting spindle 37 1s represented in Fig. 4 and the spindle itself is arranged within the servom'otor 38 constructed as follows:

The spindle 37 is joined or coupled to the hollow piston 40 of the servomotor by a ball-'bearing 39, said piston being guided oiltlght within the cyhnder 41 of the servomotor. This cylinder mentioned is supported wlthin a bearing 42 fixed by screws to the bracket 43. The piston 40 is held under oilpressure caused or produced by a pump 44, Fig. 1, driven by the steam-engine 1 through belts 45 or pinions.' Pipings46, 47 supply the oil lto the servomotor and away from it. In front of the one surface of the cylinder 41 another ball'-bearing 48 is arranged for removing the axial thrust.

rotary valve 49 'projects into the h'ollow space ofthe piston 40 and is traversed in its central bore or opening by a spindle or screw '50 coupled to the piston. A crank or handle 51 or lhand-wheel may be set on the v-proiect'ing extremity' ofsaid yspindle serving o adjiisttlie governor by hand' for the "number 'of revblutions desired atv the Said device or apparatus to the stationary bolts 'valve and shown 1n Fig. 6.

time beingA during the period the oil-pressure fails to operate.' v coiled spring 52, Fig. 2, is .inserted within the bore of the governor-shaft 6 so that the spindle 37 need only undergo a stretching strain by the servomotor, said spring constantly returning the piston 40 to the end of its stroke. 'llhe front surface of the piston is provided with a tube-like projection 53 oil-tightly guided within the neck-shaped sleeve 54 of the cylinder 41. 'The partition arranged within the hollow piston 40 is traversed by a passage 55 by which the oil may iiow through the ball-bearing 39 and through the tube-like projection 53 to the ball-bearing 48, from which it is returned to the oilpump 44. The admission of oil to the shaftgovernor is obviated by a leather-packing 56.

Illhe rotary movement of the rotary slide 49 is derived from the pressure controlling device 57, shown in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 5, representing said device in longitudinal section and the servomotor in front elevation. A cylindrical vessel 58 is so arranged in a known manner as to contain a piston tightly movable and charged by a load 59 or coiled springs 60, 61. This piston is under the action of any suitable oily fluid under pressure of the compressed air. Said oily fluid overcomes by the increasing pressure the resistance caused by the charge or load 59 and raises the piston up to the end of its stroke. Said longltudinal movement of the piston is transmitted to the rotary valve 49 by a rack 62 and pinion 63 or similar transmitting means. f

rilhe action of the apparatus described is as follows: 1f the engine is started, the oilpump begins to operate and produces or creates an oil pressure increasing together with the increasing number of revolutions. Said pressure is transmitted to the front surface of the piston 40, whereby the oil enters into the bores or passages 64, 65, provided in the body of the piston mentioned. Said bores or passages are in connection with the periphery of the rotary valve 49 and are first closed by said rotary valve so that the oil cannot be discharged. lln consequence of this, the oil pressure lwill increase until it has surpassed or surmounted the resistance acting against the adjustment of the shaft-governor 2 and moves along the piston 40. The movement of this piston 40 will be continued until the mouths or openings of the bores or passages 64, 65 meet the helical grooves 66, 67, provided Within the outer periphery of the rotary ne, two, or more of said grooves may be provided by which the oil is discharged and returned through the passage or pipe 47 to the oil pump 44. 1n this case, the oil-pressure` maintained in front of the piston 40 is reduced at once and the movement of the piston is interrupted. 1n this osition of the parts a constant throttle-actlon of the oily fluid is caused and the latter is discharged in such a small quantity only as is corresponding, at the time being to the resistance of the adjusting spindle 37. llf now the valve 49 is rotated, the openings or mouths of the passages 64, 65 are further closed or opened. 1f said openings are closed, the pressure of the oily fluid is increased and the piston 40 further displaces the adjusting spindle 37 to the outside. llf, however the openings or mouths are opened,'the pressure of the oily fluid is reduced and the c counter spring 52 displaces the piston 40 together with the adjusting spindle 37 to the interior of the shaft-governor, thus causing a turning movement of the levers 2,4, 25, whereby the tension and the actuating momentum of the coiled springs 12, 13 is reduced. In `consequence of this, the revolutions are reduced in number.

It follows from the foregoing explanation that the controlling or governing action of the engine will take place as follows: llf the engine is started there is no air-pressure as yet. The same only gradually begins to rise and acts on a vessel containing oily fluid under pressure from which said Huid is discharged to the pressure controlling apparatus by the piping 68, the movement of said apparatus operating the rotary valve 49. Some revolutions of the engine started will be sufiicient to cause the pump 44 to produce a pressure of the oily Huid suiicient for displacing the piston 40 to the other end of its stroke for the reason that the rotary-valve shuts off, at the end of its stroke, the passages 64, 65 provided in the piston 40 mentioned. rllhe coiled-springs 12, 13 of the shaftgovernor are adjusted to their highest tension and momentum. Consequently, the revolutions of the engine rapidly increase in num'ber up to the admissible maximum and the compressed air receiver forming part of the compressor is filled with said Huid as quickly as possible. As soon as the required air-pressure is obtained, the pressure-controller 57 begins to operate and the valve 49 is gradually rotated. The more said rotary movement of this valve 49 increases, the more the piston 40 returns to its original position in proportion to the increasing air-pressure, until the maximum of the pressure admissible is obtained when it again reaches said original position and adjusts the engine to the revolutions lowest in number. 1f however the consumption of compressed air or the like again increases, the pressure present Within the compressed air receiver of the compressor 3 will be reduced and the revolutions of the engine are automatically increased in number by the air-pressure controller in such a manner that the revolutions in number of the engine are controlled according to the consumption of compressed air.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for automatically controlling rotary machines by the pressure of a motive fluid, the combination with an engine-cylinder and a servomotor, of a shaftv governor controlling the charge of said cylinder, a hollow shaft carrying said governor, an adjusting spindle inclosed within the hollow shaft mentioned, a piston provided in the servomotor, a ball-bearing joining said pistondirect with the adjusting spindle mentioned, a piping connecting the interior or chamber of the servomotor-cylinderwitha pump supplying an oily Huid under pressure to the front of one side of the servomotor cylinder-piston.

2. In an apparatus for automatically controlling rotary machines by the pressure of a motive fluid, the combination with an engine-cylinder and al servomotor, of a shaftgovernor controlling the charge of said cylinder, a hollow shaft carrying said governor, an adjusting spindle inclosed within the hollow shaft mentioned, a hollow piston arranged within the servomotor, a rotary valve, controlling said servomotor-piston, a rack and pinion connecting said rotary valve with a pressure controlling device, a ball-bearing joining said servomotor-piston direct with the adjusting spindle mentioned, a piping connecting the interior or chamber of the servomotor-cylinder with a pump supplying an oily fluid under pressure to one side of the servomotor-piston.

' 3. In an apparatus for automatically controlling rotary machines by the pressure of a motive fluid, the combination with 'an engine-cylinder and a servomotor, of a shaftgovernor controlling the charge of said cylinder, a hollow shaft carrying said governor, an adjusting spindle inclosed within the hollow shaft, a hollow piston arranged within the servomotor and provided with axial passages, a pump supplying an oily fluid under pressure by said axial passages to the front of one side of the servomotorpiston, a rotary valve provided with helical grooves on its -periphery and arranged to open or close the passages of the servomotorpiston, a rack and pinion connecting said rotary valve with a pressure controlling device and a ball-bearing joining said servomotor-piston direct with the adjusting spindle.

4. In an apparatus for automatically controlling rotary machines by the pressure of a motive fluid, the combination with an engine-cylinder and a servomotor, of a shaftgovernor consisting of a stationary cylinder, a movable piston provided with passages, a. rotary valve projecting into said cylinder, ily-bodies oscillating around stationary bolts fastened to rotating disks and loaded by coiled springs suspended with their stationary ends to bolts fastened to operatinglevers insuring a permanent tension of the coiled springs movably guided with their ends during the oscillation of the fly-bodies, in a circle around bolts forming parts of pivoted rods and simultaneously increasing or reducing, by their simultaneous oscillating movement, the tension and the distance of the said coiled springs from the bolts or centers of the y-bodies mentioned.

, 5. In an apparatus fox` automatically controlling rotary machines by the pressure of a motive Huid, the combination with an engine cylinder and a servomotor, of a shaftgovernor, a hollow shaft supporting the iiybody weighted disks of said governor, an

adjusting spindle inclosed Within said holy April 1914.

REINHOLD PROELL. Witnesses:

PAUL ARRAS,

CLAIRE SIMON. 

